Her memory lives on by helping others

Courtesy of Bob Johnson
Bob and Rebecca Jo "Becky" Johnson, center, sit with their two sons Eric and Travis and all their grandchildren in this family photo. Becky died on June 19 after her battle with cancer. The family has established the Rebecca Jo Johnson Cancer Patient Assistance Fund in her memory.

Courtesy Bob Johnson
Bob and Becky Johnson and their two sons, Eric and Travis.

White County, Ill., native Bob Johnson has fought a lot of battles in his life.

A veteran of the Vietnam War, he saw plenty of action in the jungles of southeast Asia. As president of operations at the White River Coal Co. in Hazleton, Ind., he oversees the complicated and often dangerous task of hauling coal out of the earth to help feed an energy-hungry nation.

What Johnson wasn't prepared for was the battle that he and his wife Rebecca Jo "Becky" Johnson had to fight barely a year ago.

On July 28, 2006, Becky had just finished a 45-minute workout on a treadmill when she fell ill. It was an exercise regime she had completed every day for the past 18 months.

"We took her to the emergency room, and they diagnosed her with lung cancer the next day, Saturday, the 29th," Bob said.

"Chemo and radiation were started in October of 2006, and the lung cancer was declared cured in February of 2007."

News of the cure lasted less than a day when Bob had to rush his wife to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville for treatment of a buildup of fluid in her body.

Doctors at Vanderbilt quickly discovered her cancer had not gone away, it had reappeared in her brain.

"She had 12 hours of joy thinking she had whipped lung cancer," Bob said. "Then I had to tell her about the brain cancer."

Becky died on June 19 at a home they have at Mt. Juliet, Tenn.

A native of Mount Carmel, Ill., Becky was the daughter of Joe and Ida McGuire. Becky and Bob had been married for 39 years and two months. They raised two sons, Eric and Travis.

"Her courage during her illness was equal to bravery in combat," Bob said. "All cancer patients must have this bravery, I guess."

While the story of Bob Johnson's loss may be all too familiar for the hundreds of families battling cancer in the Tri-State, it was something he noticed while caring for his ailing wife that changed Bob's life.

"During all her treatments, we saw people and heard people discuss financial problems they were encountering with the daily expenses associated with traveling to treatments," Bob said.

"This is when Becky started discussing all the ways that this disease hurts more than just your body. Cancer can take away your desire to fight the disease by creating financial troubles that go far above insurance."

Being the president of operations for a coal company, Bob's financial condition was substantially better than many families who are battling cancer.

"We tried to enjoy every day," Bob said. "We went out to eat and traveled as much as she could. Knowing she wouldn't be around to raise her grandchildren hurt her more than being told she would die of cancer. Being there for her family was what she lived for."

Remembering the stories he heard from the families of other cancer patients about their financial difficulties, Bob decided to do something about it in his native White County.

"We want to create a fund to help the average person," Bob said. "You can't understand their struggle unless you have witnessed or felt the stress of combating cancer and the routine financial problems that go with it," he said.

With memorial contributions the family received after her death, Bob has established the Rebecca Jo Johnson Cancer Patient Assistance Fund at First Bank in Carmi, Ill.

Contributions will be used to help "average" local residents with the non-medical expenses associated with cancer treatment, especially travel expenses.

Contributions or inquiries about assistance can be mailed to the Rebecca Jo Johnson Cancer Patient Assistance Fund at P.O. Box 633 in Carmi, IL 62821.

A Web site for the fund at www.rebeccajojohnsonfund.org is currently under construction.